


Saviour

by Romanovax



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Bucky is also a knight, Clint Barton the court jester, F/F, Knight Steve, Lots of Angst, M/M, Prince Tony - Freeform, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is doing his best, lots and lots of flirting, stony fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-18 13:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8163649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romanovax/pseuds/Romanovax
Summary: Tony Stark's a prince, Steve Rogers is his knight in literal shining armor.  Steve is suppose to keep him out of trouble but really, they're basically a magnet for it.  Lots of fluff, angst, and Tony being a flirt.





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh for heaven's sake. Wake up, Anthony.”

“Just five more minutes…” he mumbled and waved a hand in the air to try and shoo away the voice.

“You have a big day today, need I remind you that there's a lot of work to be done. No time for sleeping in.”

Tony groaned and pulled the covers up to shield his face, “remind me why it’s so important again?”

“Oh Anthony, what am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to advise me, that your job after all.” Tony yawned, still happily curled up under his piles of blankets.

“So you say, but with the way you act I should be called your royal babysitter, no get UP!” His royal advisor, Obadiah, the man Tony trusted, betrayed all of it by ripping away the covers and exposing him to the harsh chill of his chambers.

“Hey!” He pouted and curled in on himself. “I will not put up with this disrespect!”

“It’s for your own good, Anthony.” Obadiah smiled sympathetically. “You know I would never do anything that wasn’t in your best interest, yes?”

“Yes, yes I know.” Tony nodded but made no attempt to get out of bed, or even open his eyes for that matter. He wasn’t very good at falling asleep at a normal hour so he cherished any rest his body would allow him. It had been an especially late night for him and all he really wanted to do was sleep in but it looked like he had other plans, plans that he was apparently not informed on. 

“Good,” the older man nodded and tossed a small pile of clothes at the foot of his bed, “get dressed we have work to do.”

***

It took a long pep-talk with himself, but Tony eventually dragged himself out of bed and put on the day outfit Obadiah had picked out for him. 

He had been put in charge of planning a royal ball in honor of a visiting kingdom. It was a lot of work and Tony honestly couldn’t care less but Obadiah swore it was good practice for being king. If Tony even ever got to be king, it didn’t seem like his father was checking out any time soon. Tony also didn’t really care too much about being king, it was a bunch of responsibility he didn’t want to take on but when Obadiah suggested anything to Tony’s father, it usually became set in stone--whether Tony liked it or not. 

Once he was dressed, he begrudgingly headed down to the throne room.

“Ah Anthony, so kind of you to finally join us.”

“You should just be happy that I’m here at all, father.”

“The fact that I expected you to sleep through this should really concern you more.” The height of his father’s throne made it easy for him to be looking down at Tony, something he had always resented. He tried to reply but Obadiah interrupted before he could really say something to properly anger his father.

“Anthony! Perfect timing.”

Tony turned around to see Obadiah smiling and a tall man walking just slightly behind him.

“Perfect timing for what?” He raised an eyebrow.

“If you haven't noticed, your previous guard got a promotion so he hasn’t been at his post by your door, but his replacement just arrived.”

“Oh. I rarely ever noticed him being around to begin with.” Tony shrugged. “But okay.”

The stranger stepped forward, bowing briefly. “Steven Grant Rogers at your service, your highness.”

Tony couldn’t help but smirk, his last guard wasn’t exactly good at following rules and he rarely showed such signs of respect. Thinking about it, that guard was probably fired, not promoted. Tony looked the new man over, blonde, blue-eyed, and oh-so muscular. He could work with this.

“Nice to meet you, Stevie.” His smirk grew to a grin at Steve’s reaction to the nickname--his face basically looked like a tomato.

“Anthony!”

The whole room glanced over in the direction of the voice. 

“Yes mother?”

“Would it kill you to be nice to the guards for once, poor thing looks terrified.”

“I was just saying hello.” He did his best to smile innocently, an act he had perfected over the years.

“For some reason I believe you said a little more than that.” She chuckled and moved to kiss his forehead. “Behave yourself and don’t forget about your work for the party!”

“Yes ma’am”

Maria smiled and turned to walk over to her throne next to Tony’s father.

“Party?” Steve looked at Tony once Maria had left.

“Yeah we have a partner kingdom visiting so I have to plan a ball in honor of their arrival, and all that.” Tony shrugged nonchalantly. To him, it really was an everyday occurrence. He had grown up with balls hosted in honor of something as little as his mother acquiring a new dress. Steven however had probably grown up a peasant and had never even been to so much as a birthday party so his confusion wasn’t surprising. 

“So you will be there making sure nothing happens to our precious little prince.” Obadiah added, giving Steven an expectant look.

Tony groaned, “Obi, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me little.”

“Oh I’m sorry, Anthony. I’d hate to upset my favourite little prince.” He was so very obviously mocking Tony, which embarrassed him even more and it didn’t help that Steven had a smile on his face.

“Hey cut it out.”

“Excuse me, sir.” Steven immediately went blank faced and turned his head to the floor. 

“Oh I like this one.” Tony grinned.

“That’s the spirit,” Obadiah smiled, patting Steven on the back. “Lighten up, I promise Anthony’s bark is a whole lot worse than his bite.”

“Obadiah…” 

“Like I said,” His advisor smiled at Tony. “Listen to your mother and behave, I’ll check in on that party progress in a little while and Steven you take care of the prince.”  
“Yes, sir.” Steven nodded and Tony waited until Obadiah was out of earshot to groan and roll his eyes. 

“They all treat me like I’m five years old.”

“They just care about you is all, sir.”

“If you say so,” he sighed. “Okay ground ruled, you do as I ask, no questions asked. Don’t you dare call me ‘sir’ again. I may not be five but I’m not fifty either and I’m really not a big fan of how formal everyone is around here so I expect you to be the exception.”

“Noted, your majesty.” Steven nodded in acknowledgment.

“Very good,” Tony smiled. “I believe this will work out quite nicely.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intruders find their way into the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you're reading this, I'm glad you liked the fic enough to actually click to chapter 2. This chapter has a whole lot more action in it!

Steve spent the rest of the day silently following Tony around, which honestly drove Tony crazy. He did his best not to mention it because after all, that was his job and he was technically being the best guard he could be at the moment but the guy couldn’t even take a joke. He looked mortified every other time Tony opened his mouth but he sure didn’t respond to any of it. He’d just have to give him some time to warm up to Tony.

Tony finally got a break from him and as he was walking down the hall back to his chambers, he got so lost in his thoughts that he almost ran straight into someone coming from the opposite way. 

“Hey! Watch wh-oh. Hey Tony.”

Tony took a moment to process what just happened before a smile grew on his face as he recognized the familiar face in front of him. “Clint!”

He was one of Tony’s best friends in the palace. Formally known as Clinton Francis Barton and even more formally known as the Court Jester; but he was just Clint to Tony. Their friendship had grown quickly. Not only because he was one of the few people in the palace that was the same age as Tony but also because he really was hilarious and they were both really good at getting in trouble together.

“You haven't been in the court lately. You’re missing out on my wonderful shows.” Clint pouted.

“Oh how tragic.” Tony smiled sympathetically and held a hand over his heart. “Maybe you can give me a private showing alter. I’ve been very busy preparing for this ball, I just haven’t had the time.”

“Oh anything for my biggest fan.” Clint’s pout turned to a grin. “How are those preparations going anyways?”

“As well as can be expected,” Tony shrugged. “I was just assigned a new guard so that’s been a bit of an inconvenience.”

“Oh have you? Is he any better than that last one?”

“I suppose… he’s rather handsome… and strong… and has really nice eyes… oh and he’s blonde… but he’s a total stick in the mud, y’know. Wants to follow every rule and be incredibly formal and all that.”

“Sound like just your type.”

“Wha- no way! I don’t like him like that, it’d be absurd; we’re not even friends. Plus, I so don’t have a type.”

Clint snorted and gave Tony a ‘you have to be kidding me’ look. “Oh yeah? Well according to that description of him, you’re definitely wanting to be more than just his friend. He sounds just like that last girl you went after--Pepper, right?”

“Yeah that’s her…”

“And wasn’t she beautiful with blonde hair and hardworking and had really nice green eyes? Oh, yeah, she was also a huge stickler for the rules and didn’t know how to have fun. I see no difference.”

“Pfft that’s merely a coincidence!”

“What’s a coincidence?” Tony jumped in surprise to hearing the voice suddenly come from behind him. He whipped his head around to see who dared eavesdrop on his conversation. His eyes matched the voice with the man standing mere feet away from him and lo and behold there was Steven Grant Rogers looking confused and also exceptionally adorable.

“Steven! I do not appreciate you sneaking up on me like that.” He let out a frustrated sigh and turned back to Clint.

“My apologies, your highness.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor. “Meant to just stop by and say hello, I didn’t want you to think I was being impolite.”

Clint raised an eyebrow as he glanced between the two, “Is this the guy you were telling me about?”

Tony simply nodded.

“You’re right,” Clint grinned. “He is quite handsome. Clinton Barton, the castle’s court Jester, nice to meet you.” 

Steven’s cheeks turned pink at the compliment and he turned to Tony, who was trying very hard to hide his embarrassment. “You were talking about me?”

“May have mentioned your name.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well this got really awkward, so I’m going to leave.” Clint patted Steve’s shoulder. “Take good care of him, Tony you can thank me later.”

Tony groaned and hid his face in his hands. “I’m really sorry about him, but like he said: he’s the Court Jester, he can’t help it.”

“No, no don’t worry. I’m flattered that the prince was talking about me in good favor.”

“Nope, no, don’t lie to me! You think I’m creepy now.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Anthony.”

Tony looked up at him skeptically but nodded, “okay. Fine. Come on, I really have a lot of work to finish.” Tony started walking in the direction of his chambers, not bothering to check if Steven was following him. 

***

As they approached, Tony turned to see Steve indeed following after him. He paused at his doors but didn’t turn to face him, “you’re dismissed, Steven. The ball preparations should take the rest of the night so I won’t be heading out anywhere.”

“Yes, your highness. Thank you.” He bowed and turned to go back to his own chambers, located just down the hall from Tony’s. “You know where to find me if you need anything, goodnight Anthony.”

“Goodnight.” Tony smiled briefly, watching him go. A few moments passed and he realized he was really just staring and for much too long. He shook his head to help clear his thoughts, making a bee-line to his desk as he entered his chambers. He hadn’t even sat down when he heard the doors creak open. It was odd that there was no knock but he figured he hadn’t closed the doors all the way and a bit of wind blew them open or Steven had just forgotten to tell him something. 

“Steven? What is it?” He continued to his desk and planned to look over his notes as he called out. No response. 

“Steven…?” He turned around the identify the source of the noise. He barely had a moment to react as a stranger, with a mask, lunged at him. Tony stumbled backwards but instead of hitting his desk, he hit another body. Arms wrapped tightly around his him, immobilizing his arms. He struggled to break free and soon was calling for help, “Steven! Help! Intruders!” He could only manage short bursts as much of his attention was preoccupied on breaking free. He could feel his fear and anxiety crawling up his chest, he could only assume the worst would happen. 

“Steven he-” his words were cut off as the one who lunged at him clamped his hands over Tony’s mouth to silence him. Tony wasn’t even close to giving up though, he knew what was happening, these were hired kidnappers, maybe assassins. Tony would be taken and held for a ransom. OBidah and his mother would convince his father to pay the gold to free him and if they were lucky, the bargain would be upheld and Tony would be returned mostly unhurt. If they were unlucky, the gold would be paid and Tony would be killed. It had happened before when he was a child. They had been lucky that time around but Tony had no intention of reliving that nightmare.

He did what he must--kicking, clawing, biting, anything to loosen his attackers grip on restraining him. One bite was successful and the intruder yanked his hand away. Tony didn’t hesitate, “HELP! STEVEN!”

“Anthony?! What’s wrong-oh!” Steven burst into the room just as the second intruder was throwing a sack over Tony’s head to conceal where they were trying to take him. As soon as Steven processed the situation, he burst into action, pulling his sword out and running to the first intruder. He took him down with minimal effort and the second intruder took that as his cue to bolt.

As soon as Tony felt the grip loosen, he reached up to rip away the fabric blinding him. He looked around frantically, calculating an escape route. He stumbled as he tried to move, disoriented from being blindfolded. 

Steven rushed over then, lightly taking Tony’s arm to help balance him. Tony instinctively flinched and tried to yank his arm away, causing him to stumble even more.

“Hey- Anthony. It’s me, Steven. We need to get you out of here.”

Tony looked at him with wide eyes, recognition finally setting in.

“Let’s go!” Steven sighed, grabbing Tony’s hand and pulling him into the corridor. It took Tony a moment but he finally snapped out of his daze. He glanced from their linked hands up to Steven, “where are we going?”

“Somewhere where you’ll be safe, just do me a favor and keep up.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded, doing his best to move quickly so Steven wasn’t just dragging him along. They turned two more corners before Steven stopped abruptly, reaching up to pull on a wall sconce fixture. A portion of the stone wall slid open to reveal a small room with nothing more than a seat carved into the wall. It was only of the many safe rooms hidden throughout the palace in case of attacks. Luckily, there weren’t enough of those for Tony to be too familiar with these rooms. 

Steven pulled him inside, nudging him over to sit down. Tony wasn’t in the mood to argue and simply plopped down on the stone bench. 

Steve knelt in front of him so he wouldn’t be looking down at him. “Anthony are you alright?”

“I’m okay.” TOny shrugged, purposely not looking Steve in the eye.

“That wasn’t very convincing.” Steve gave him an unimpressed look. “I genuinely want to make sure you’re okay. It’s alright to admit if you’re not, Anthony.”

“Can you please stop calling me that?”

“Excuse me?”

“Anthony. I like to be called Tony, not Anthony.”

“Oh. Yes I believe I can do that.” Steve smiled softly and nodded. “Now will you tell me what happened?”

Tony sighed and recounted what happened after they separated barely an hour ago.

“I see… Tony I need to go find the other intruder, you’ll be safe here.”

“No, no Steve you can’t leave me.” He grabbed Steve’s arm in an attempt to pull him back. He knew he sounded like a child but he honestly didn’t care.

“I won’t be long, and I’m no use in here, we can’t run the risk of them being in the castle. What if they attempt to attack another member of your family?”

Tony hadn’t considered that… He trusted Steve, he knew he was a good soldier and he really did care about Tony’s wellbeing. But Tony had been kidnapped before and he really didn’t want to be left alone and defenseless for it to happen again.

When Tony said nothing, Steve took one of his hands in his own. “Tony I understand you’re scared, and you have every right to be but you're safe here. I promise. I’m going to go now and I’ll be back before you even know it, okay?”

Tony merely nodded.

“Good. Be brave, my prince.”

Tony watches as Steve found the latch that reopened the hidden door and slipped out of the small room into the castle, now full of danger. Tony tried to do as Steve asked him to, tried to be brave, but he ended up curling in on himself while he sat in the corner, eyes trained on the doorway. 

As he waited, Tony decided that Steve was not back before he knew it, It felt like days before Steve returned. But the door did eventually open again and there was Steve, looking rather battered and bruised but alive and with a smile on his face.

“Tony It’s all safe now.”

Without much thought, Tony leapt up and squeezed Steve in a tight hug. “My knight in shining armor. M’glad you’re not dead.”

“Yeah you and me both.” He laughed softly, it was more of a stress relief laugh than anything but Tony was still happy to hear it nonetheless. 

“We’re not sure who sent them, but those guys knew what they were doing.” 

“I can tell,” Tony pulled away and reached up to brush his thumb over a bruise already forming on Steve’s cheek. “You look pretty hurt, how’re you feeling?”

 

“Oh I’m fine, you should’ve seen the other guy.” Steve grinned smugly.

Tony laughed at that, still loosely wrapped up in Steve’s arms, “glad to hear it, but you really should get some medical attention.”

“As you wish, sir.” Steve game him a salute and Tony couldn’t help but smile. He almost couldn’t believe it, he’d just had one of the worst nights of his life and hear he was happy and smiling. He felt pretty lucky to have someone like Steve who could make him feel that way. “But let’s get you back to your room first, it’s been a long night.”

“I’m exhausted.” Tony nodded in agreement and followed Steve as he made his way down the hall and back to Tony’s chambers. “Wait- is my mother okay?”

Steve paused momentarily to look at Tony, “yes, both your parents were taken to safety almost immediately.”

“Good.” Tony let out a sigh of relief. “I should probably go visit her… oh god she must have been worrying about me this whole time! I hate making her worry.” 

“Hey, I’ll make sure she’s notified that you’re okay. I suggest you get some rest, you can see her first thing in the morning.”

“Right, okay.” Tony nodded and followed as Steve continued walking, soon approaching his door.

“I believe this is your stop.”

“You would be correct.” Tony nodded. “Thank you for keeping me safe tonight.”

“Of course, It’s what I do.” Steve smiled and bowed politely.”

“Well thank you anyways, you’re the best I could ever ask for.”

Steve smiled, “I appreciate hearing that. Goodnight Tony.”

“Yes, goodnight.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long but life has been really busy!

The rest of the week went off without a hitch. Tony was still pretty shaken after the intruders had attacked so Steve made a point of staying by his side as much as possible, hoping it would make him feel at least a little safer. 

 

He really was a comforting presence to Tony, not only because he was capable of keeping him safe in a time of need but also because Tony was starting to consider him a friend. A very handsome and muscular friend… but also intelligent and charming. He intrigued Tony and one night in the middle of a work session, he gave up on concentrating and instead started quizzing Steve on his life. “What did you do before becoming a guard?”

 

The question obviously caught him off guard and Steve looked confused as he looked up from the parchment to meet Tony’s eyes. 

 

“I mean if you don't mind me asking…” Tony looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling embarrassed about asking.

 

“No! No, I don’t mind. I’m just surprised you’d care to listen to me talk about my life. I’m sure IT’s nothing as interesting as yours.”

 

“Of course I care! I mean, we spend all this time together and you know all about me, It’s only fair I get to hear about you.”

 

“As you wish.” He smiled faintly and proceeded to tell Tony all about his life before the castle, unsurprisingly he was a peasant ad lived within the kingdom. He had a bet friend who also became a knight but was assigned to a different unit. Tony considered having the friend transferred to the castle but decided against it when a pang of jealousy hit him at the thought of Steve liking someone more than himself. 

 

Steve continued on to talk about his mother, “she’s lovely and the best I could ever ask for. She’s got the biggest heart and can make an amazing meal out of little to nothing.” Steve smiled sadly. “I miss her a lot, I’m still writing letters home daily. The money I receive as a guard is helping her out so much, I really appreciate it.”

 

“She sounds like someone my mother would like.”

 

“Oh my mother adores the queen, I think she’d faint if she ever met her.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Tony chuckled quietly. “Maybe one day we can arrange that, we’ll make sure to have a doctor nearby as well…”

 

“Oh Tony, you don’t have to do that!”

 

“I know I don’t. But I’d still like to. It wouldn't be difficult to make it a reality.”

 

Steve looked like he could cry. “You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’d take time to do something like that. I still can’t believe you even want to listen to me speak. I mean you have the world at your disposal, you have anything and everything gold can buy and yet you’re here, talking to me.”

 

“Steve that’s the point! I do have everything gold can buy so that’s why these moments are so special to me. I can’t buy your friendship or your stories, yet here you are, and that means the world to me.”

 

“Tony…” Steve smiled softly, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks, “I got so lucky to be able to know you, you're going to be a wonderful king.”

 

“Yeah?” Tony smiled brightly at the praise.

 

“The absolute best.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

 

Steve opened his mouth to say something else but a knock came from the door to his chamber and both their heads turned to the noise. The door opened, without Tony’s permission, and Obadiah, his royal adviser, strolled in like he owned the place. 

 

“Ah Anthony, hello.”

 

Tony leaned back in his chair, suddenly very aware of how close he had moved to Steve during their conversation.

 

“You didn’t wait for me to call you in.” Tony sighed. “I need my privacy, Obi. Keep telling you that and yet here you are.”

 

“My apologies your highness, It won’t happen again.”

 

“Sure it won’t.” Tony muttered under his breath. Obadiah never waited for Tony to call, which usually ended in some very awkward situations. Guess that’s what he got for chatting with his guard rather than having him posted at the door to stop these sort of interruptions.

 

“Excuse me? I didn’t catch that.”

 

Luckily Steve stood up and bowed before Tony could shoot a sarcastic comment. 

 

“Ah sir Rogers. You are not at your post I see.”

 

“Yes, well being right next to me is actually a lot safer than standing outside my door.” Tony said. “Steven, do you think you could give us a moment?” Obadiah's presence was starting to irritate Tony and didn’t want Steve caught in the middle of that.

 

Tony was well known to have a temper when he didn't get his way, thank to his father’s genes, and Obadiah criticising steve pissed him off a whole lot more than he expected it to. Tony waited until Steve was out the door to speak, “So what brings you here?”

 

“It’s about your guard.”

 

“He has a name you know.”

 

“Oh you’re one to tell me that, you don’t know the names of even half the staff that work directly with you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah I know, what’s your point?” He sighed impatiently, sifting through some of the parchment on his desk just to annoy Obadiah.

 

“He has proven himself quite well with protecting you. The royal counsel believes he should be promoted to your father's guard.”

 

“What?” Tony’s stomach dropped.

 

“You’ll of course be assigned a new guard-”

 

“No.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Steven will stay as my guard, my father already has his own.”

 

“Well you’ll have to take that up with him. The order came directly from him after the counsel decided. It seems he dislikes how close you’ve grown to this guard, It’s quite unusual.”

 

“So I’m not allowed to have friends now? That hardly seems fair. I spend every minute of my day with him around, it would be highly unusual if we weren’t friends.”

 

“Now Anthony, this is in the best interest of the kingdom.”

 

“No!” Tony was shouting now. He was so sick and tired of Obadiah telling him things were for his own good. Losing Steve would bring him nothing but pain. He couldn’t accept it. “You need to leave and tell my father to get his own guard because Steve is staying right here. The best interest of the kingdom is to invest in the safety of it’s one and only heir, not the old man that’s bound to die any day now anyways.”

 

“Now Anthony-”

 

“Out!”

 

Obadiah made a sour face but complied in bowing and leaving without another word. Once he was gone, Tony slumped back in his seat feeling numb and betrayed. His trust in Obadiah was quickly slipping. 

 

Tony’s father was an asshole but he never deliberately tried to hurt Tony in such a cruel way, but having Obadiah worming ideas into his mind would do the trick. He was terrific at twisting details until they seemed like the only viable option. So Obadiah, who knew Tony really liked Steve, apparently thought it was a great idea to rip him away from him. He didn’t know he was doing it, he had been working for the royal family for years. Maybe he just thought this really was for the best. Tony was too tired to figure it out.

 

He considered dragging himself to bed and just sleeping until he had some feeling returned to his body but a soft knock on his door dismissed that. Tony figured it was Obadiah coming back to do damage control, because when Tony got pissed, he tended to fire half the staff. Tony wasn’t in that kind of mood so he simply did not respond.

 

The knock came one more time before Steve’s blonde hair came into view as the door was cracked open. “Tony? Are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m quite alright.” Tony nodded even though Steve couldn’t see him.

 

“May I come in?”

 

“If you must.”

 

Steve entered, silently closing the door behind him and walking to Tony’s desk. “Are you sure?”

 

Tony looked up at him with a forced smile, “of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Because I heard shouting and your adviser looked quite upset as he left.”

 

Tony just shrugged and Steve gave him an unconvinced look in return. “What happened?”

 

Tony chewed on his bottom lip as he collected the right words to say. “He wants to promote you to be my father's guard.”

 

“Well what if I want to stay yours?”

 

“You won’t have a choice.”

 

“Then I guess I’ll have to resign.”

 

“No!” Tony’s eyes widened and moved to the edge of his seat, ready to lunge. “I- um please don’t leave me…”

 

He stood up this time and looked up at Steve. “I’ve gotten so used to you being around and you’re so kind and brave and--” Tony’s rambling was cut off by Steve’s lips pressing against his. Tony made a startled noise but quickly began to kiss back. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to Tony but Steve made it feel so new, he was a comforting presence. 

 

Tony hummed happily against his lips and loosely wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck. Steve in turn, rested his hands on Tony’s waist.

 

Steve pulled away a few moments later and Tony looked up at him with a grin.

 

“I’m not going to leave you.” Steve’s voice was barely above a whisper.

 

“Good.” Tony sighed happily, feeling safe and content in the other man’s arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stark kingdom recieves visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone whose been reading, more chapters are coming soon!

The rest of the week passed by with Steve and Tony overseeing all the decorations and menu prep for the royal ball. Tony could only hope that all his hard work had payed off and that his father might be proud of him for it. 

 

Their guests arrived early in the day of the event and the king had his whole family present to greet them. Tony’s mother leaned over to straighten his jacket, “stand up straight Anthony.”

 

“Yes mother.” Tony sighed and glanced over his shoulder to look at Steve who was off to the side, overseeing the meeting. Steve caught his eye and gave a quick, comforting smile before returning to his required stoic expression. 

 

So far, Steve was indeed still with him as his guard but Tony wasn’t getting his hopes up. Obadiah hadn’t been asking, he had been notifying Tony of his transfer so it was only a matter of time. For now, Tony was going to enjoy the safe feeling that Steve’s presence gave him and not worry about the future. 

 

A few moments later, the sound of horns announced their royal visitor’s arrival. Tony stood up straighter and clasped his hands behind his back. The gates to the castle’s courtyard opened and three men walked through. One much older and two around Tony’s age. The older man, most likely the king, headed straight to Howard and extended a hand. Howard smiled widely and shook the other man’s hand. “Thank you so much for visiting our kingdom. I hope you find it time well spent.”

 

“We are most grateful for you hosting us, King Stark and interested in possibly striking a deal.”

 

“Excellent,” Howard’s smiled seemed to grow even more upon hearing that. He was speaking to the rule of Asgard, a very wealthy and influential kingdom. It’s rich in precious metals and warriors, basically king Stark’s dream come true. “I have arranged for my son, Anthony, to take your sons on a tour of the kingdom while we discuss.”

 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. Boys, may you please introduce yourselves?” Odin nodded towards the two young men who had been standing quietly at his side. 

 

THe first was a pale and slender man with longer black hair. He stepped forward and bowed, introducing himself as Loki. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Tony smiled politely.

 

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Loki almost purred as his eyes trailed up to meet Tony’s. He was flirtatious, that was easy to see and Tony admittedly felt a little flustered after it. The moment passed quickly though as his much bulkier and blonde brother clamped a large hand down onto Tony’s shoulder. “Aye, I am so glad to meet you friend Anthony.”

 

“Nice to meet you too, buddy.” TOny laughed softly. “You ready for that tour now?”

 

“Now wasting any time, I like this boy.” Odin commented, nodding in greeting towards Tony. Tony smiled and respectfully nodded back. So far so good, if things continued like this, there was no doubt that Howard would be proud of him. 

 

He glanced behind him, meeting Steve’s eyes. He smiled but it looked tight and forced. Not a good sign. That put a temporary damper on Tony’s mood because that was definitely a sign something was wrong but with the presence of his guests, he couldn't figure out what just yet. 

 

No point in dwelling on it just yet, he could just be imagining things. Tony turned back to his two guests with a smile, “let's get to it, shall we?”

 

Tony spent the next two hours showing the men around the castle, explaining paintings and tapestries to teach them about his culture. Normally this would bore him to death but the two seemed genuinely interested in what he was saying and they provided Tony with their own stories--most of which sounded so ridiculous that he barely believed they were true.

 

Once the tour was finished, Tony escorted his guests to their chambers. For this particular occasion, they were staying in guest rooms on the same floor as Tony, mostly for convenience. 

 

As they turned down the proper hall, Tony could see Steve standing guard at his door. Tony pointed Thor to his room and was then left alone with Loki to walk him to the next room. As they approached, Loki paused and bowed to Tony, taking his hand and placing a gentle kiss upon it. “I am ever grateful for the tour you showed us today.”

 

“Oh it was nothing,” Tony could feel his cheeks heating up and ducked his head down to help hide the blush. “I look forward to seeing you at the ball. Good day, Anthony.”

 

Tony bowed briefly with a smile. “I’m just down the hall if you need anything. Good day.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked to his own chambers doing his best to keep a neutral face as he greeted Steve and entered.

 

Steve entered a moment later. “Tony?” 

 

“Hey handsome.” Tony beamed and sauntered over, standing on his toes to kiss his cheek.

 

Steve smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist. “How did it go with the Asgardians?”

 

“Very well actually. They seem like they could be good allies and the boys good friends.”

 

“Seems like one wants to be more than just your friend.”

 

“Excuse me?” Tony furrowed his brow and looked up at him.

 

“Nothing… I- It’s stupid.”

 

“C’mon Stevie, tell me what’s wrong.” He looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Please?”

 

Steve sighed and reluctantly gave in, “I didn’t like how close that one, Loki I believe, was getting to you and then kissing your hand just now…”

 

“Oh are you jealous?” He grinned and trailed a hand over Steve’s chest. “That’s adorable.”

 

“Pfft I’m not jealous! Why ever would I be jealous?”

 

“Uhuh. Sure you aren't mr. Manly Man.”

 

“Tony. I don’t appreciate your teasing.” He gave him an unwavering look.

 

“Fine.” He sighs and leans up to peck his lips. “Well even if you are jealous, don’t you worry your pretty little mind, he’s just flirting. You’re the one with my heart.”

 

Steve’s stone cold demeanor softened and he hugged Tony a little closer. “And you have mind. I appreciate your reassurance but if he tries anything, your heart isn’t going to be enough to stop me.”

 

“Of course darling, I couldn’t have you getting the wrong idea.”

 

“I know, I trust you Tony.”

 

“And I trust you, sorta have to since you literally guard my life.”

 

Steve chuckled and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Can i help you get ready for the ball?”

 

“I would love that,” Tony’s hand slid down to take Steve’s. “Come along my valiant knight!”

 

“Yes your majesty.”

 

Tony grinned and led him over to his wardrobe, opening the large doors and flipping through his options.

 

“I don’t think I’ve had this much clothing in my entire life…”

 

Tony paused to look back at Steve with a raised eyebrow, “what?”

 

Steve looked a little more sheepish now, like he regretted revealing that. “I- I mea my family wasn't very well off. I wore most of my clothing until they turned to rags.”  
“Oh Steve.” Tony’s expression softened. “Y’know I don’t actually know too much about the commoners lives. Maybe you can start advising me on that subject, we can find ways to improve their lives.”

 

“Oh that would be fantastic, Tony!” Steve’s whole face lit up with his smile. “You have no idea how much that would mean. Their lives are quite the opposite of yours and no one ever seems to take an interest in them.”

 

“Yes I’m beginning to understand that.” Tony nodded seriously. “As soon as our guests have returned to their home, I’ll make that my next project.”

 

“Excellent.” Steve was practically beaming and TOny decided that Steven’s happiness was his new favorite sight. “But for the moment, I need to find a nice outfit.”

 

“Of course. I don’t know how you decide when you have this much.”

 

“I manage,” he shrugged, pulling out a black and gold embroidered jacket with a form fitting pair of black trousers. “This should do.”

 

***

 

Tony spent the next few hours with Steve, only sending him away when he had to prepare for the ball. He finished off his ensemble with knee high black boots and his golden crown. He headed down to the grand hall early, surveying the setup and decorations. To his relief, everything seemed to be in order so all he could do was wait until his guests arrived.

 

Many of the smaller nobility guests arrived first and Tony wasted time greeting and making small talk. Less than an hour later, he was bored and antsy. Neither his parents nor the Asgardians had made an appearance; most likely so they could appear fashionably late. 

 

His parents eventually were the first to arrive.

 

“Hello Anthony, darling.” His mother smiled softly towards him while his father stood stoic, slightly behind her.

 

“Hello mother.” Tony returned the smile. “Father.”

 

“This ball is quite lovely, I’m so proud of you pulling this all together despite the interruptions.”

 

“Thank you!” Tony smiled a little brighter, his mood boosting from the complement. 

 

He looked at his father, hoping he’d at least keep any negative comments to himself. “Yes it appears your guests are enjoying themselves. Well done, son.”  
“Thank you father.” TOny felt his anxiety wash away momentarily. He finally did something right. He could only revel in this happiness for a moment before he spot Thor entering the hall. 

 

“If you’ll excuse me, my guess of honor have arrived.”

 

“Of course, I’m sure they’ll love it.”

 

Tony sure hoped so. He had combined the little information he had on Asgard with his own culture to create the decorations and food arrangements.

 

“Ah friend Anthony! It is a pleasure to see you once more.” Thor clamped a large hand on his shoulder, a friendly gesture but painful nonetheless.

 

“It is good to see you too, Thor.” Tony offered a smile, turning his attention to Loki. “Nice to see you as well.”

 

Loki bowed slightly, holding out a bottle, engraved in an intricate design. “A gift for your hospitality. It’s a bottle of our finest mead.”

 

“Well thank you.” Tony accepted the gift and returned the bow.

 

“Be wary though, you’ll find it’s much stronger than your kingdom’s wine.” Thor added. 

 

“Well why don’t we crack this open and get this ball into action.

 

“Wonderful idea.” Loki smiled mischievously.

 

The night progressed with Tony, Thor and Loki consuming a large quantity of the Asgardian mead and generally being the life of the ball. Tony occasionally caught Steve’s eye from across the room. He was stationed at the main entrance, patrolling the flow of people and making sure only invited guests were admitted; it was a boring job but he couldn't exactly just hang out with his guard, he had to keep up appearances. 

 

“Care to dance?” Loki slinked up behind him, placing a gentle hand on his waist. Tony broke the silent look he had been exchanging with Steve to turn back to Loki.

 

“It would be my honor.” He grinned lazily, the mead was really starting to get to his head but he managed to keep up with the slow dance. Loki finished with a bow and placing a kiss on Tony’s hand. Tony could feel himself blush. Luckily it didn’t appear that anyone was paying much attention to them--Tony was supposed to be notorious for his flirting, he couldn't have that reputation tarnished by all this blushing Loki had been making him do. But Loki was quite handsome and he wouldn’t mind a piece of that. He pulled him in a little closer. “You’re an excellent dancer.”

“Why thank you.” Loki smirked placing a hand on Tony’s chest. “You’re not half bad yourself.”

 

“I’m flattered.” He smiled softly, his eyes having trouble focusing, they weren’t kidding about the strength of the mead.

 

“What do you say we take a break from the ball and maybe you can give me a private tour.”

 

“Won’t your brother feel left out?”

 

“Oh I think he’ll manage.” Loki’s hand trailed down, intertwining his fingers with Tony’s.

 

“Let's go.”

 

“Okay.” Tony nodded excitedly, lightly dragging Loki towards the doors, his focus on maneuvering through the crowd of people.

 

“Your majesty.” Steve nodded respectfully as he began opening the large door for him. “Leaving your own party so soon?”

 

“Oh Steve! Tony exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks. He somehow forgot the man was even at the ball. Steve made a disappointed face upon seeing Tony’s hand intertwined with Loki’s. Tony felt a rush of embarrassment and promptly pulled his hand free. “My lovely guest wanted to see some more of the castle.”

 

“I see… Do you think it’s wise-”

 

“Why are we conversing with the staff? You did not ask his opinion.” Loki draped an arm over Tony’s shoulders in a subtle attempt to direct him back towards the doors. Tony, however, was frozen to the spot.. He was insulted by Loki’s words. “Excuse me?’ He pulled away. “I don’t know how you run things in your kingdom, but my staff especially this man in particular, deserves some respect.” Tony huffed, tugging on Steve’s arm. “Please escort me back to my chambers.”

 

Steve merely nodded, baffled by Tony’s outburst.

 

“That was… Tony you shouldn’t have.”

 

“Hush.” Tony commanded, basically shouting his words now. “He was being rude.”

 

He was stumbling now and Steve wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him steady. Tony grinned up at him lazily. “My knight in shining armor. You know you’re very handsome right? And those muscles…” Tony wiggled around in his grip until they were face to face.

 

“Uhum yes, thank you.” Steve glanced around, they weren't far from Tony’s chambers but there were standing in the middle of a very public corridor; It wasn't that Steve was embarrassed by Tony, but more scared he’d lose his job because of an inappropriate situation.

 

And yet, before Steve realized it, Tony was pushed up against him and leaning in for a kiss.

 

“Woah there! Hey-okay let's get you back to your chamber.”

 

Steve started walking again despite Tony’s whimpers. He caught up, tucking himself under Steve’s arm until they arrived at his chambers.

 

“Why don’t you like me Stevie?” Tony looked up at him with sad eyes. “You didn’t even punch Loki to defend my honor.”

 

“He wasn’t exactly making any comment about you… and you kinda beat me to it with your speech defending my honor.” Steve gently closed the door behind him as they entered the large bedroom. “And I like you very much, it's just not exactly appropriate to be kissing in the middle of a corridor.” 

 

“Then we shall do it now.” Tony’s eyes lit up, leaning up to kiss him once more. Steve entertained him with one small kiss but Tony didn’t appear to be satisfied. He nudged him back, fiddling with the buttons on Steve’s guard uniform. 

 

“Hey- Tony,” he started carefully. “Why don’t we do this some time when your head's a little clearer.”

 

“I want it now.” Tony whined.

 

“I know darling but you need rest right now…”

 

“But Stevieee.”

 

“Nope, get your cute ass into bed.”

 

Tony smirked at him, shaking said ass before obeying and kicking off his boots and stumbling into his bed.

 

A moment of silence passed before Tony spoke again, “are the Asgardians going to be mad at me?”

 

“For what?”

 

“For being rude to Loki and then just leaving the event planned specifically for them…”  
Tony chewed on his lip nervously. “If they get mad then my father will be angry with me and you can’t protect me from him…”

 

“Oh Tony.” Steve frowned, stepping closer to sit on the side of his bed, running his fingers through his hair. “They won’t be upset with you. I can notify your mother that you were feeling ill and that will explain your behavior and absence. They’ll understand.”

 

“Okay.” Tony nodded “Thank you.”

 

“Nothing to thank me for Tony.”

 

“You don’t have to be here right now, you didn’t have to ever talk to me for anything other than guard duties and you really didn’t have to provide me with any of the comfort that you do and yet here you are.” Tony looked up at him with wide vulnerable eyes.

 

Steve knew the mead had gotten to his head and Tony probably wouldn’t even remember this tomorrow but he could hear the sincerity in Tony’s voice and it made Steve’s heart warm. “I do it because I truly care about you. You have revealed so much about yourself to me and have showed me a kindness that I never expected. I appreciate every moment of it.”

 

Tony’s eyes widened and then he was leaning up to kiss Steve, soft and sweet and Steve was happily returning the gesture. When he pulled away, Tony rested his head on Steve’s shoulder.

 

“Goodnight Steve.”

 

“Goodnight Tony.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! There are many more chapters to come of this so let me know what you think!


End file.
